Ben Brereton Diaz: Chile striker rediscovers joy for football at Derby County

Brereton Diaz netted in back-to-back games to start 2026, taking his tally to five goals for club and country this season, while also providing match-winning assists in games at Preston and Charlton to help the Rams get close to the play-off spots.

John Eustace’s side can move into the top six if they beat Bristol City on Friday.

The last time the former Nottingham Forest forward – who was on the books at Manchester United as junior before going to join Stoke City’s academy – played an entire Championship season, he managed 16 goals and four assists in all competition for Blackburn.

A season earlier, he scored 22 in the Championship alone.

The move to Villarreal was an opportunity for the Stoke-born former England youth international to take his club career abroad, having already taken a bold step onto the senior international stage with Chile – a county he is qualified to play for though his mother.

“I really enjoyed football when I was at Blackburn, playing every week, scoring goals. I loved it,” he said.

“Obviously it’s hard then when you move to Villarreal and are not really playing. It’s hard being in a different country and not playing and then you go to Southampton and are not really playing and not scoring goals.

“That’s not fun. As a striker I want to be playing games and scoring goals.

“But they are lessons you can learn from and great experiences. It’s part of football and you have to keep moving forward.

“Every move I’ve done, going to the national team, has been an experience that has only helped me.”

As a Chile international and goalscorer that made an impact at Premier League level in the recent past, Brereton Diaz moved to Pride Park with high expectations placed on him despite his succession of moves over the past two seasons.

He freely accepts what Rams supporters want from him and says he – and his team-mates – use it as motivation.

“It’s a massive club and the fans demand a lot,” the forward said.

“We get sellouts every home game and fans demand that we win and play good. But I think the boys thrive off that. We are in a good position now and the fans are behind us.”